9 dead in suicide attack on Indian consulate in Afghanistan (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Remains of a dead body are carried away from the site of a suicide attack in Jalalabad province August 3, 2013. (Reuters/Parwiz) / Reuters

A suicide bomb attack has struck near the Indian consulate in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, killing 9 people, most of them children, say authorities. The consulate said that no Indian officials were caught in the blast.

Three attackers in a bomb-laden car detonated their explosives
when police opened fire on them as they approached a checkpoint
near the consulate.

"@TOLOnews: Eight
children killed and 21 other civilians injured in Nangahar
suicide attack near Indian Consulate | Police Chief"

The ensuing explosion injured 24 bystanders, including a
policeman. Many of the casualties were children as well. The
blast also caused heavy damage to local shops.

Gunfire was reported in the area around the consulate for an hour
after the initial blast.

The Taliban have said they were not behind the attack in a text
message to Afghan journalists.

The attack comes off the back of a worldwide travel alert by the US government who claim to have
evidence al-Qaeda could be planning an attack in August. As a
consequence, the US has issued an order to close 21 embassies,
the majority in the Middle East and North Africa.

“The Department of State alerts US citizens to the continued
potential for terrorist attacks, particularly in the Middle East
and North Africa and possibly occurring and emanating from the
Arabian Peninsula," the statement read.

The State Department called on American citizens abroad to take
extra precautions and advised that they sign up for State
Department updates on the potential threats.

The alert said that public transport systems such as subways,
railways, boats and airplanes were prime targets for possible
attacks.

This is not the first time that the Indian consulate has been
targeted by insurgency in Afghanistan. In 2008 and 2009 the
Indian Embassy was bombed, killing 75 people, while in 2010 two
Kabul guest houses were attacked, leaving six Indians dead.

The Indian government laid the blame at the feet of
Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba which has been more
active in Afghanistan in recent years.

The suicide bomb attack near the Indian consulate may not be
coincidental, Dr. Bidit Dey from University of Northumbria told
RT.

“I think it is a part of the organized activity. India
promotes secularism and democracy in that region, although India
has got its own threats from extremist religious groups. But at
the same time India has been siding with proper democracy, rule
of law and secularism for more than half a century now. And we
have to understand the role of India in the BRIC nations. So
there is something more than coincidence behind [the
attack],” he said.